Commanders' Changing RB Depth Continues Raising Fantasy Football Questions

The Commanders' sixth-round draft pick was already slated in as the third running back on Washington's depth chart, an understandable preference to show toward an asset-based prospect, and the Penn State product backed up the front office's belief in his abilities with a strong showing last week.

Allen enjoyed the default attention the Commanders gifted him, tallying 85 yards on 23 rushes before notching a touchdown, just as he had 15 times as a senior with the Nittany Lions. 3.7 yards per carry fell considerably short of the marks he'd previously set for himself, though he made a little bit of recent history in becoming the only running back over the last decade to record 20+ preseason carries without a run for negative yardage.

And where Allen experienced some slippages in his efficiency, fellow up-and-coming rookie Robert Henry Jr. thrived under half the workload. He notched 75 yards and a trip to the end zone himself, doing so on 12 total carries.

On paper, Henry has a tougher road to winning the Commanders' attention than Allen, having worked his way into this position as an undrafted free agent. Regardless of their origin stories, the rookies each made timely advertisements of their services, considering the old guard they're tasked with unseating.

Fringe Backs Still Worth Accounting For

Besides Croskey-Merritt, only Jeremy McNichols has a chance to return from Washington's 2025 running back rotation. But even the eight-season veteran may not be guaranteed any opening-night burn after 34 consecutive regular-season appearances as a Commander, courtesy of a quadriceps injury he reportedly suffered during training camp.

Washington quickly pivoted to signing longtime Detroit Lions and one-time Redskins RB Craig Reynolds just in case McNichols is still down for the count come September. And that's without mentioning Jerome Ford, who's still out there as yet another experienced option for the coaching staff to consider keeping and deploying.

Those last few names are essentially non-factors for most fantasy GMs, save for the soldiers strong enough to put themselves through slow-burn 32-man drafts. Only Croskey-Merritt, White, and the rookies should meaningfully contribute to any weekly attacks.

Allen and Henry may enter next month in similar spots, even if Allen enjoyed the more fruitful collegiate career and draft intrigue. Much depends on how they close out the following pair of preseason affairs; should Henry continue making such good use of his limited touch count against the Lions and Baltimore Ravens, he could easily land himself a surprise Week 1 appearance.

Croskey-Merritt and White, conversely, likely won't experience any major shifts in their roles between now and the regular season kickoff. The headstrong, albeit inconsistent, Croskey-Merritt could thrive alongside a deepened array of downfield threats that now includes the versatile White, with his 800+ rushing yards and league-leading 53.7% success rate as a first-year Commander taking most of the air out of anyone forecasting any big shifts from the top of the running back room.

But below him and an exciting free-agent signee in White, the Commanders' rushing game may be younger than fans could have anticipated during their springtime spending spree. Allen and Henry each seem good enough to earn occasional shots against the rest of the NFL as spot contributors, and in exchange, the older, more familiar names should start sliding down the waiver wire of denser leagues.